Raiders trade young cornerback Jakorian Bennett to Eagles in surprise move

The Eagles are always wheeling and dealing.

In the wee hours of Monday night, the Eagles traded interior defensive lineman Thomas Booker to the Raiders in exchange for outside cornerback Jakorian Bennett, in a deal that took some by surprise.

Booker, 25, was originally drafted by the Texans in the fifth round in 2022 before becoming a rotation player for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles last season.

Booker played in all 21 games — including the postseason — for Philadelphia, although he never started a game with stars Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis clogging things up in the middle.

Bennett, 24, is largely regarded as a promising young cornerback.

The trade sent some fans into rage.

As a 23-year-old, Bennett started in 11 games over the past two years after he was drafted in the fourth round in 2023 out of Maryland.

Bennett is the only cornerback in the NFL with 300-plus defensive snaps who did not allow a touchdown in 2024.

Bennett also allowed less than 5.5 yards per target and sub-70 passer rating when targeted, the only cornerback to accomplish this last season.

Cornerback depth is always in high demand in the NFL, where stopping the pass is the highest priority.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has a reputation as being one of the shrewdest traders in the NFL — while the Raiders, though under new leadership now with minority owner Tom Brady and first-year GM John Spytek, have been a laughingstock in recent seasons.

Some have been criticizing the Raiders for trading with the Eagles for a defensive lineman after they waived another defensive lineman last season in Byron Young, who eventually went on to be claimed by Philadelphia and could take the spot vacated by Booker.

Last season, the Eagles had by far the No. 1 coverage grade in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (92.8), while the Raiders were dead last in that same category (32).